Kelly Maddy thinks the recent Michael Phelps pot-smoking controversy has been blown out of proportion.

After all, Maddy pointed out in a guest column last Sunday, you can just add the 14-time Olympic gold medalist’s name to a list of admitted marijuana smokers that includes President Barack Obama, former Vice President Al Gore, astronomer Carl Sagan, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and the other 100 million Americans who admit to taking a toke of the evil weed at some time in their lives. Oh, the shame of it all!

Mad-dog Maddy — as some of the Globe’s commentors critical of his well-known pro-pot position call him — thinks it’s time for Americans to realize that pot smokers can be — and are — productive members of our communities. Maddy contends that the righteous indignation expressed by those calling Phelps — perhaps the world’s greatest athlete — on the carpet is misplaced. Soon after we posted Maddy’s column online, the story comments started smokin’ online at joplinglobe.com.

“How right you are, Kelly! Alcohol has destroyed more lives than Mary-Joe-Juana ever will. Why doesn’t the government criminalize alcohol? The answer is obvious. The government could — and would not — enforce the law as evidenced by Prohibition during the 1920s. Marijuana is a harmless vice, and to say that I will move on to harder drugs like cocaine and heroine is like saying if I start eating potato chips I will move on to Ding-Dongs, Koo-Koos, Twinkies and Taco Bell! Leave Phelps alone! He is an American hero. If we started throwing stones at the people in Jasper County who have experimented with marijuana, half the windows in the county would be broken!”

— A NORML person

‘Idiot dopehead’

While many people who attached their thoughts on Maddy’s column agreed with his stance, just as many didn’t. Some called Maddy irresponsible, another arrogant, and one even insisted he’s an idiot dopehead. I’m often amazed at the anger expressed when this subject is raised. I don’t think Maddy cares what he’s called, as long as the debate continues.

“I guess YOU are deserving of our indignation for saying ‘it could have been any one of us,’ because, oh arrogant one, there are many that it most definitely could not have been.”

— Hey Kelly!

“Marijuana: This is just another irresponsible try to get a law passed for those that continue to whine that dope is not a bad thing, so they can keep doing their bad habits and not go to jail for their disrespect for our laws. This bull plop goes on and on. Get a life there, knot-head, and stop trying to push your dope on the rest of us. If I am not mistaken, they have proven the crap is really bad for you.”

— oldman

“It just proves you can be a good swimmer and an idiot dopehead. By the way, it has also been shown you can be a rapist and a good basketball player ... a gambling dogfighter and a good football player ... a steroid injector and a huge bulbous-headed home-run hitter ... a swindling thief and a successful funds investor ... an associate of past terrorists and president of the United States. This could go on forever.”

— You’re right Kelly

‘Keep up the good work’

During the couple of years I’ve followed Maddy — and his very NORML cadre of cannabis crusaders — I’ve discovered he has a large group of silent supporters. Unfortunately for his cause, not large enough to get his group’s Sensible Sentencing Initiative on the ballot in Joplin last fall.

“Oh Mr. Maddy, fine line between genius and insanity. Your logic and reason is definitely genius, but to put forth such in the buckle of the Bible Belt definitely makes me worry about your sanity. Great column, just too bad it will find deaf ears and blind eyes.”

— Poetikus

“Kelly, nice letter. You brought up some very good points. I was afraid after the recent failure (with the SSI) you would just fade away, but you are still here standing your ground and educating people. Keep up the good work, you are reaching people even if it seems slow at times.”

— anonymous

“Great job Kelly! I was at the gym last night, and news of Phelps came on TV — again — and the woman on the machine next to me exclaimed, ‘Who cares if he smokes pot! Seriously!’ It’s moments like these my faith in mankind is restored.”

— SarahExplosion

“Yeah, those ‘women on the machine next to us’ at the gym can be counted on to be the ultimate in authority when it comes to society’s norms and values.”

— Hey Ms. Explosion

“Kelly is right, let the KID be a kid, most kids at age 23 have at least tried it. Let him live his life and make his own decisions. While he is a superhuman swimmer, he is still just human.”

— FOODFORTHOUGHT

Leave ’em laughin’

I think the idea of decriminalizing marijuana and the use of marijuana for medical purposes merits serious discussion, but sometimes a good laugh has merit, too.

“What makes you think anyone who is for reform of marijuana laws smokes? The fact is people from all walks of life smoke or don’t smoke and support it. The reason? Because our laws don’t stop people from using marijuana, and we are (jailing) a portion of our society that needs to be left alone — like responsible drinkers. How many of you are throwing stones in a glass house with your pharmaceuticals and glasses of wine every night? ‘Oh. But they are legal!’ — yea, and more dangerous.”

— RE: Idiots

“Personally, about all the heads I knew in college didn’t care much about anything except sitting in their dorm rooms bonging ... and eating, of course. Didn’t seem like too great of lifestyle to me.”

— Remembering

“I smokd wede all the time and it never effecteded me none.”

— reefer hed

“We smokd to, and we is awright.”

— reefer heds frendz

Dave Woods is new media editor for The Joplin Globe.